1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an infinitely variable toric transmission and provides an infinitely variable toric transmission of smaller power loss and larger transmission torque capacity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An infinitely variable toric transmission having toric input and output disks fitted on input and output shafts, respectively, disposed on the same axis and rotatable together, and two right and left traction rollers disposed in a toric cavity which the opposed surfaces of the input and output disks cooperate with each other to form, the traction rollers being abutted firmly against each other to engage the input and output disks and transmit a large torque by a traction force created in the portions of engagement, and wherein the two right and left traction rollers are rotatably supported on two right and left trunnions through bearings, and the two right and left trunnions are pivotably mounted in a housing by upper and lower support link members, respectively, and both of the upper and lower mounted portion are slightly tiltable by a spherical post is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 47060/1982 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 168,521).
In this transmission, both of the upper and lower support link members are supported by a spherical post and therefore, due to unspecific causes such as the working error of each member, the assembly accuracy and the flexure during the operation of the transmission, the forces applied to the portions of engagement of the right and left traction rollers actually are not always maintained balanced, but one of them on which an excessively small force is exerted begins to slide earlier, and this has led to the undesirable possibility that the torque transmission capacity is reduced or a loss of power results.
Therefore, to automatically equalize the influences of the working error, the assembly accuracy and the flexure and thereby eliminate the aforementioned unspecific adverse effects, an attempt has been made to mount one of the upper and lower support link members in the housing by a spherical post as previously described and support the other of the upper and lower support link members on the housing by a sliding post for slight rightward and leftward movement.
However, the present applicant has found that in this transmission, pressure forces (tangential load and vertical load) created in the portions of engagement of the right and left traction rollers with the input and output disks are theoretically not equal to each other. That is, it has been found that even if the aforementioned unspecific causes can be eliminated at all, the pressure forces applied to the right and left traction rollers do not become equal to each other and one of the traction rollers still begins to slide earlier and this hampers the improvement of the torque transmitting efficiency.